Archive for the 'Christianity' Category

Did you know that reading your Bible can easily become a dead work, and that’s exactly what it is to many Christians - yet they don’t even realize it! Don’t get me wrong, it is important to spend time in the Word. That is how we grow and our minds are transformed as we allow God’s Word to soak into our spirits and change the way we see things. But when we’re trying to punch a spiritual time clock by reading our Bible, that’s where the problem comes in. God does not love you any more or any less, based on how much you read your Bible. There are people who are said to be Bible experts, yet they don’t even know Christ.

Do you feel spiritually attacked after not reading your Bible for a few days? Then you’ve got a problem. Why? Because your basing your righteousness and relationship with God upon your performance (you see reading your Bible as “doing your duty”). Reading your Bible should never be about doing your duty or putting in your time, but about seeking to have your mind and heart renewed and transformed by the Words of God! I can tell you that it is not the fact that you’ve went a few days without reading your Bible which is allowing the spiritual attacks, it is the guilt that you feel for not reading your Bible which opens the door to the attacks.

When you go for a few days without spending time in God’s Word, you shouldn’t be feeling guilty, you should be feeling hungry. Sometimes though, we do have to “force feed” ourselves the Word to get our fires started, but even that is not the same as reading your Bible out of religious obligation.

Reading your Bible has a purpose - a VERY important purpose!! You aren’t going to become all that God has made you to be, or receive all the good things that He wants you to have, if your mind is not transformed by the Word. Reading your Bible has an important purpose, but it is not a duty or means that your relationship with God is judged by. It is what you receive out of the Word that transforms your life and takes your relationship with God to the next level.

Reading your Bible just because you feel like it’s your duty or obligation as a Christian, is a dead work. Reading your Bible because you want to receive what is written on those pages is what it’s all about.

The Holy Spirit has been speaking to me recently about religious art, and it’s terrible affects on how we perceive God. I am convinced that the saying is true concerning a picture saying a thousand words. You can tell a lot about somebody just by looking at their picture, the expression on their face, etc. Many pieces of religious art, particularly of Jesus, are giving many people today a terrible picture of the nature of God.

When I look upon many pieces of religious art, particularly in the Catholic church, it gives me a very unsettling feeling. To my spirit, it speaks of a cold, religious Jesus, who is all about religion, rules and would be angry with me if I ever messed up. What does this do to a person? It causes them to draw away from an intimate relationship with Jesus, instead of run to Him. Who wants an intimate relationship with a cold, religious, and angry God? Not me!

Then I see some other pieces of “relationship” art, that speaks of a loving Jesus who is personal, merciful, and kind. This is the type of art that truly paints an accurate picture of the loving nature of Jesus! What kind of Jesus would you rather have a relationship with? A cold religious one, as portrayed in most religious art? Or a loving, personal, and merciful Jesus?

How we perceive the nature of God in our minds, is perhaps the biggest element that will either cause our faith and love for God to soar, or drain the energy right out of us, and instill fear and distance in our minds from Christ.

The other day, the devil had conjured up the nerve to throw this at me: “You know how if we die without our sins being forgiven, we spend eternity in hell, apart from God? Isn’t it unfair that Christ took our punishment, but only spent 3 days in hell?”

This is the typical nonsense that the enemy will try to throw at us to break down our faith, and get us to look at God through the eyes of suspicion. Whenever you get an accusation against God like this, don’t be quick to buy into Satan’s message… instead trust that there’s a answer or reason that God has for it.

Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly and basically said, “If I didn’t raise Jesus from the dead, He would have spent eternity in hell for your sins!”

My friend, we ought to be THRILLED that the Holy Spirit has raised Jesus from the dead so that we can spend our eternity with our Lord and savior someday!

This is very brief, and does not begin to do justice to this important subject, but I want to shed some light on judging within the body of Christ. It is vital that we love one another, and are prepared to give Godly correction in love, but if a fellow Christian continues in sin, then we are told to judge them and see them as an outsider. Consider this passage:

1 Corinthians 5:11-13 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

The kind of judging in Matthew 7 that we are not to do, is a different kind of judging which involves condemnation or damnation. While we are not to condemn or damn others, we are to judge the righteous judgement, as God’s Word tells us:

John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Before you read what is in this post, I want you to know that you that I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, whether they consider themselves pentecostal, baptist, Catholic, etc.

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Paul was seeing the early signs of division among believers, and he didn’t like it, neither did the Holy Spirit (being that He inspired Paul to rebuke the nonsense). Has Paul addressed this issue today, he might as well of said:

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am Pentecostal; and I Methodist; and I am Baptist; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was John Wesley crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of the pope?

Christianity is by far the most divided religion in the world today. Even the cults and pagans have more unity than we do!

There is only one truth! If one denomination believes one thing, and another denomination believes another, then one of them is wrong. One of the denominations is believing a lie, because there is no such thing as two truths when it comes to spiritual matters. Either Christians can have demons, or they can’t. Either tongues and spiritual gifts are for today, or they aren’t. Either healing and miracles are for today, or they aren’t. When two different denominations believe differently on a subject like this, then one of them is deceived, and has chosen to believe a lie!

I was telling somebody the other day that I would actually consider putting a bumper sticker on my car, if I found one that said, “Get out of church, and get in your Bible!” It is when Christians follow their pastor around and are gullible to accept everything he tells them, is when they are led astray into false doctrines and teachings of men. Even the early church was diligent to research scriptures to make sure that what they were being taught was true (see Acts 17:11). How many Christians today do the same thing? Probably not many; they merely accept what “sounds right” from the pulpit, and that’s where they fall into trouble. Satan has some awfully convincing arguments about some things, but it’s all exposed when a person gets into the Word of God and learns the truth for themselves!

Don’t get me wrong, there are some great churches out there that do teach the truth in God’s Word, but they are not the minority here in America. If you are going to be in church, then get yourself in a church that FEEDS you the TRUTH, the raw Word of God. Anything else is setting yourself up to be brainwashed and lukewarm in your relationship and knowledge of God!

Pastor James Brandt preached an awesome sermon titled, “Keys to Spiritual Unity” on August 10th, 2008, and it addresses this topic in greater depth. You can find James’ sermons on the GreatBibleStudy.com web site under “Audio Sermons.”
I have friends who are of different denominations, but it grieves my heart to see such division in the Body of Christ! I consider myself more non-denominational than anything, but even many who also consider themselves non-denominational are believing lies that the Word of God would expose, if they only sought the knowledge of God for themselves!

Beware, there is a new cult leader on the rise. Almost all of us have heard of her, but I need to point out a video that states the hard facts about the new age cult leader, Opera Winfrey. Click here to view a shocking video of this spiritual disaster that is hitting America.

What are some of the things she teaches?

Jesus is not the only way to God.

There are millions of ways to God.

We are saved by our own holiness.

There is no such thing as sin.

Don’t tell me these aren’t the end days!

Mark 13:22, “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.”

According to the video above, Opera Winfrey is leading millions of people into the world of demonic trances and getting them possessed with demons like flies. According to the Bible, this is a modern day false prophet and she is specifically involved in the new age cult movement. Beware!

Did you know that God’s Holy Angels are here to help us, minister to us, and on top of it all, they love us too?? It’s true! God’s Word tells us that the angels share great joy when just one sinner is born again!

Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

The angels rejoice when they see just one sinner receive eternal life! Isn’t that wonderful?? After all, they also had great joy when they saw Jesus enter this world… they sang praises to God and “Peace on earth and goodwill towards men!” They were thrilled at this major breakthrough for mankind!

Luke 2:13-14, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Yes! After all, Jesus DIED for them! Jesus didn’t come to save the righteous, but to call sinners unto Him:

Luke 5:29-32 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician: but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Did you know that Jesus loved us so much for who we were, not for what we’ve done, that He sent His son to die for us, EVEN before we came to Him?

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

However, if we choose not to accept the gift of eternal life (by accepting and believing Jesus and the work which He did for us)… what good does that do us?? Nothing!